Hartford Street Zen Center - Issan-Ji Temple

Hartford Street Zen Center - Issan-Ji Temple A Castro neighborhood Buddhist temple for the LGBTQQI community and allies, in the Soto Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and the San Francisco Zen Center.

Founded in 1980 by Rev. Issan Dorsey and the Gay Buddhist Club in a Victorian house in the Castro district, Hartford Street Zen Center is the organization responsible for Issan-ji (One Mountain Temple), a neighborhood temple and residential practice center in the Soto Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. The center was also the site of the Maitri AIDS Hospice in the 1990′s, which now manages its own facilities.

At last, Issan-ji is now a genuine "dead tree hall"! 🧘🏻‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️
04/07/2026

At last, Issan-ji is now a genuine "dead tree hall"! 🧘🏻‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️🧘🏻‍♂️

Winter Light Retreat Schedule – DEC 5, 6, and 7 December 20250900 Zendo opening and Zazen0930 Kinhin (formal walki...
12/05/2025

Winter Light Retreat Schedule – DEC 5, 6, and 7 December 2025

0900 Zendo opening and Zazen

0930 Kinhin (formal walking meditation)

0940 Zazen

1015 Dharma Talk setup

1030 Dharma Talk

1115 Kinhin

1130 Zazen

1210 Chanting Service

1230 Lunch

1330 Clean-up & Rest

1430 Zazen

1510 Tea (Dining Room)

1530 Zazen

1600 Kinhin

1610 Zazen

1645 Chanting Service

1700 End of Day

Sunday Dec 7 Only…
As Above, until…

1205 Bodhi Day Setup & Ceremony

1230 Retreat End

Please Note: Visitors are welcome to join in the scheduled sitting between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., but are asked NOT to take a seat in the zendo-proper once the period has begun, but to remain on the bench at the west end of the zendo until a period ends. Please see the schedule for the times of the sitting periods. Also, persons who have not registered for the retreat cannot be accommodated at mealtimes.

Holiday Closures November, December 2025 and January 2026November 26 thru 29December 24 thru 27January 2026 1 and 2We'...
11/26/2025

Holiday Closures November, December 2025 and January 2026

November 26 thru 29
December 24 thru 27

January 2026 1 and 2

We'll take a break from our stalwart zendo practice on the days noted above, so stay home by the fire and do some cozy sitting there, just for fun.

Watch for a notice about our annual New Year's Eve event.

NOTE: If you attend one of the other groups that meet here
independently of the usual zendo schedule, check with them to find
out if they will hold their regular get-togethers. Have happy and safe holidays, everyone!

Save the date – Arrange the time off from daily home, work and busy worldly market life: December 5th into December 7th ...
11/22/2025

Save the date – Arrange the time off from daily home, work and busy worldly market life:

December 5th into December 7th

For 2025, a three-day retreat.

We will have zoom presence. We are finalizing the schedule and offerings that will be included. We will communicate more details and your options and ways to join in the weeks ahead.

hope you will join us for this annual event for deepening our practice, opportunity.

Stay tuned in email for another announcement in weeks ahead and on hszc.org or our page for more info.

Suggested Attendance is $80 for the full retreat, $30 per day – or – an amount of your own choosing, or you can afford. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Questions or ready to RSVP now? Please email: [email protected] – or – sign the sign-up sheet in the zendo

Guest Speaker – 22 November – Rev. Hokyo Lorenzo GarboRev. Hokyo Lorenzo Garbo first came to Zen practice in 2001, and s...
11/13/2025

Guest Speaker – 22 November – Rev. Hokyo Lorenzo Garbo

Rev. Hokyo Lorenzo Garbo first came to Zen practice in 2001, and studied mostly as a non-resident at Green Gulch Farm while working as a colleg`e professor in Southern California.

He received the bodhisattva precepts from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 2006 during a sabbatical year spent in residence at Green Gulch, and became a full-time resident at City Center in 2020. He received priest ordination from Kiku Christina Lehnherr in 2023 and currently serves as the San Francisco Zen Center’s director of the Hospitality department.

Join us Saturdays for zazen (seated meditation) at 9:30am, with the Dharma talk to follow at 10:30. We offer in-person distanced attendance, and we also will continue to offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events.

There’s an earlier sitting at 6:30am, in addition to the later one at 9:30am (you can log into the conference starting at ~9am). A period of zazen is typically 40 minutes, and it’s ok to adjust your sitting posture as needed. The Dharma talk includes time for questions and answers, occasionally followed by a particular ceremony such as the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. We enjoy tea and cookies together afterwards. Please visit hszc.org to be routed to our Zoom gathering

And as always you can contact us to arrange an introductory session ~8:45am if you are a beginner.

As a reminder any week you do not see a speaker announced it is our Abbot, Rev. Myo Lahey.

Thank you supreme court for choosing equality, again.
11/10/2025

Thank you supreme court for choosing equality, again.

Wed, Nov 12 at 6pm Zazen & Service not availableOur apologies but in our very limited resource temple a person missing i...
11/10/2025

Wed, Nov 12 at 6pm Zazen & Service not available

Our apologies but in our very limited resource temple a person missing is an impact to schedule and activities. Wed night will not have its usual resource this week and we hope you can instead make our next scheduled offering

Nov 8, 2025 Speaker Rev. Koshin Steven TierneyDr Steven Tierney is a Dharma transmitted teacher in the lineage of Suzuki...
11/04/2025

Nov 8, 2025 Speaker Rev. Koshin Steven Tierney

Dr Steven Tierney is a Dharma transmitted teacher in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. Steven is the guiding teacher at Oceans Compassion Zen Community, Meditation in Recovery Sangha at SFZC and the SFLGBTQA+ Sangha. Rev. Tierney is currently the president of the Soto Zen Budhist Association.

Dr. Tierney is a psychotherapist in private practice and Professor Emeritus in Counseling Psychology at CIIS. He has been integrating meditation, mindfulness, and breath-based wellness initiatives since 1995. For further information: [email protected]

TEMPLE CLOSURE Oct 31st through November 3rd 2025Please have a safe and enjoyable Halloween if you celebrate it, but the...
10/27/2025

TEMPLE CLOSURE Oct 31st through November 3rd 2025

Please have a safe and enjoyable Halloween if you celebrate it, but the Castro center is rather festive especially when it will be combined with the final street market for the Castro Neighborhood in 2025. Abbot & Priest and Students will need some extra morning hours to catch up on sleep after a neighborhood party.

In the west often zen centers often combine the Halloween most closely related to Samhaim from the Celtic people with a Japanese tradition often celebrated in O-bon season known as Sejiki, the feeding of hungry Ghosts.

PLEASE DONT ALSO FORGET TO sign up for the Winter Light Retreat Dec 5th through 7th

Sat. 18 October 2025 – Rev. Fugan, Gene BushFugan Eugene (Gene) Bush began formal Zen practice in 1982 and received Dhar...
10/18/2025

Sat. 18 October 2025 – Rev. Fugan, Gene Bush

Fugan Eugene (Gene) Bush began formal Zen practice in 1982 and received Dharma transmission from the late Rev. Katherine Thanas in 2010. Gene serves as one of the Practice Leaders of Santa Cruz Zen Center.

He also became a teacher for the Arcata Zen Group in 2013, with occasional forays to Hartford Street Zen Center and to Q***r Dharma at San Francisco Zen Center.

Join us for zazen (seated meditation) at 6:30am and/or 9:30am, with the Dharma talk to follow at 10:30. We offer in-person distanced attendance, and we also will continue to offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. Please visit hszc.org to be routed to our Zoom gathering

A period of zazen is typically 40 minutes, and it’s ok to adjust your sitting posture as needed. The Dharma talk includes time for questions and answers, occasionally followed by a particular ceremony such as the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. We enjoy tea and cookies together afterwards.

And as always, you can contact us to arrange an introductory session ~8:45am if you are a beginner. As a reminder any week you do not see a speaker announced it is our Abbot, Rev. Myo Lahey.

2025 Winter Light Retreat Extended Schedule/Sittings – Dec 5-7Save the date – Arrange the time off from daily home, work...
10/10/2025

2025 Winter Light Retreat Extended Schedule/Sittings – Dec 5-7

Save the date – Arrange the time off from daily home, work and busy worldly market life:

December 5th into December 7th

For 2025, we hope to offer a three-day retreat and need your attendance to make it happen.

We will have zoom presence. We are finalizing the schedule and offerings that will be included. We will communicate more details and your options and ways to join in the weeks ahead.

We hope you will join us for this annual event for deepening our practice, opportunity.

Stay tuned in email for another announcement in weeks ahead and on hszc.org or our page for more info.

Suggested Attendance is $80 for the full retreat, $30 per day – or – an amount of your own choosing, or you can afford. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Questions or ready to RSVP now? Please email: [email protected] – or – sign the sign-up sheet in the zendo

Address

57 Hartford Street
San Francisco, CA
94114

Opening Hours

Tuesday 6:30am - 7:45am
Wednesday 6pm - 7pm
Thursday 6:30am - 7:45am
Saturday 6:30am - 7:30am
8:30am - 12pm

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